ATLANTA -- The Arthritis Foundation today named Alpha Omicron Pi Fraternity (AOII) as the national sponsor of the 2014 Jingle Bell Run/Walk for Arthritis. The Foundation celebrates the event’s 30th anniversary this year, marking three decades of raising funds for arthritis research, health education and government advocacy to find a cure for the nation’s leading cause of disability.

AOII International President Allison Allgier, who will spearhead the 2014 campaign, will serve as the national chair and spokesperson for the event. Allgier has recruited a national Jingle Bell Run/Walk committee comprised of fellow AOII volunteers committed to the cause. In the coming months, the committee of will set goals to secure new revenue for the Arthritis Foundation and help in achieving the event’s national fundraising goal of $9 million.

“AOII has been an invaluable partner of the Arthritis Foundation for many years, and we are thrilled to be naming this exceptional organization as our 2014 Jingle Bell Run/Walk for Arthritis national leadership,” says Meagan Fulmer, chief development officer at the Arthritis Foundation who is also an AOII. “We look forward to working with AOII as we carry out our mission to change lives and raise funds for a cure.”

Throughout its 30-year history, more than 115,000 Jingle Bell Run/Walk participants and volunteers tie jingle bells to their shoelaces, wear festive holiday costumes and fundraise to support the Arthritis Foundation’s mission to prevent, control and cure arthritis. There are more than 130 Jingle Bell Run/Walk events nationwide, and more than 65 events with more than 1,000 participants each year.

About the Arthritis Foundation

Striking one in every five adults and 300,000 children, arthritis is the nation’s leading cause of disability. The Arthritis Foundation is committed to raising awareness and reducing the unacceptable impact of this serious and painful disease, which can severely damage joints and rob people of living life to its fullest. The Foundation funds life-changing research that has restored mobility in patients for more than six decades; fights for health care policies that improve the lives of the millions who live with arthritis; and partners with families to provide empowering programs and information.

About Alpha Omicron Pi

Alpha Omicron Pi was founded in 1897 at Barnard College of Columbia University in New York City. AOII has over 160,000 initiated members and 200 installed collegiate chapters in its history, with 156 active alumnae chapters across the United States and Canada. Alpha Omicron Pi is an international women’s fraternity promoting friendship for a lifetime, inspiring academic excellence and lifelong learning, and developing leadership skills through service to the Fraternity and community. To learn more about Alpha Omicron Pi, visit the Fraternity website at www.alphaomicronpi.org, or find AOII online on Facebook and Twitter.